Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 38
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you wants to be my follower, you must give
up your own way, take up your cross, and
follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your
life, you will lose it. But if you give up your
life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what
do you benefit if you gain the whole world
but lose your own soul?* Is anything worth
more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man
will come with his angels in the glory of his
Father and will judge all people according
to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth,
some standing here right now will not die
before they see the Son of Man coming in
his Kingdom.”
C H A P T E R 17
The Transfiguration
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two
brothers, James and John, and led them up
a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men
watched, J esus’ appearance was transformed
so that his face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly,
Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking
with Jesus.
4
Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for
us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three
shelters as memorials*—one for you, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5
But even as he spoke, a bright cloud
overshadowed them, and a voice from the
cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who
brings me great joy. Listen to him.” 6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on
the ground.
7
Then Jesus came over and touched them.
“Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 And
when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were
gone, and they saw only J esus.
9
As they went back down the mountain,
Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone
what you have seen until the Son of Man*
has been raised from the dead.”
10
Then his disciples asked him, “Why do
the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah
must return before the Messiah comes?*”
11
Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming
first to get everything ready. 12 But I tell you,
Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in
the same way they will also make the Son of
Man suffer.” 13 Then the disciples realized he
was talking about John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
14
At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd
was waiting for them. A man came and knelt
before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on
my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly.
He often falls into the fire or into the water.
16
So I brought him to your disciples, but they
couldn’t heal him.”
17
Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt
people! How long must I be with you? How
long must I put up with you? Bring the boy
here to me.” 18 Then J esus rebuked the demon
in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.
19
Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that
demon?”
20
“You don’t have enough faith,”
Jesus
told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had
faith even as small as a mustard seed, you
could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here
16:26 Or your self? also in 16:26b. 17:4 Greek three tabernacles.
17:9 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
17:10 Greek that Elijah must come first?
17:1-8 Even before Jesus’ transfiguration, Jesus was the glorious Son of God. But Peter, James,
and John had never seen Jesus in that way. After their experience on the Mount of Transfiguration,
these disciples would never again be able to consider Jesus anything less than God’s Son without
being in full-scale denial. Through the words of Matthew and the testimony of other believers, we
too are witnesses of God’s glory in Jesus Christ. To deny his authority over us will only assure the
failure of our recovery. Jesus is the only one who can transform our broken lives.
17:14-21 This account of the disciples’ failure to cast out a demon teaches us a crucial lesson
about the role of faith in recovery. Jesus criticized the disciples for their lack of faith in God’s
power to heal the boy. We don’t need a large amount of faith to begin the healing processes in
our lives; we need “faith even as small as a mustard seed” to effect change. Prayer and faith in
God are essential tools for our recovery; with these we can move mountains!
18:2-6 By calling the little children to come to him, Jesus revealed his love for each of us. He
warned that terrible judgment would come upon those who harm his followers or cause them to
lose faith. This is encouraging for those of us who have suffered injustices or abuse from others,
especially when we were children. We don’t have to carry our hate with us or waste our energy
dreaming of revenge. God will judge those who have harmed us. We should focus on our recovery, not on the punishment of people who have hurt us.
